Team Herald

VASCO: Tension gripped Sancoale after a group of villagers opposed the proposed widening of an internal road leading to Old Sancoale church, on Wednesday.

According to the information received here, the officials of Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) along with PWD officials visited Sancoale to physically check the existing width of the internal road leading to old Sancoale Church and examine how much the road can be widened. Additional collector South Agnelo Fernandes, Mormugao Mamlatdar Satish Prabhu and a team of policemen were present to control law and order situation.  

Thus, the moment the officials started demarcation, a group of villagers who are already upset with the decision of shifting the venue of annual feast of St Joseph Vaz from Sancoale sanctuary to old Sancoale church premises, rushed to the site and started objecting to the road widening alleging hidden agenda.

“In the name of God, they want to widen the road and that too by breaking the compound walls of locals which is wrong and highly objectionable. There are people in the village who have been demanding that the feast should be held at Sanctuary, but their views are not heard. On the contrary, they want to celebrate the feast at the old church by causing hardships to locals living near the old church. I don’t understand the logic behind hurting the sentiments of people from that area. All this confusion started due to shifting of the feast venue and therefore we still demand that the feast should be held at the sanctuary and we all villagers will provide all possible help and support for the same,” a villager said.

Questioning the intention of State administration, another villager alleged that the whole issue of road widening is linked to the proposed marina project in Sancoale. “If at all the widening of the road is required, then, the same should be till the main gate of old Sancoale church. But, here in the name of feast, the road is being constructed till the coast which is objectionable and we find something fishy in this road widening,” he said. 

Refuting the allegation, a representative of Catholic Church authority said that the claims made by the locals are false and baseless as road is being widened only to facilitate free movements of vehicles during the feast and not for marina. He said that there was no hidden agenda behind the road widening and if the marina proposal comes, then, not only the Sancoale villagers, but the whole of Goa would come forward to oppose the same.  

However, a small group of people present at the site supported the widening work and have been cooperating with the authorities as they support the decision to hold annual feast of St Joseph Vaz at old Church.